Display containers, for example, boxes of corrugated paperboard, are widely used for shipping and marketing products. Such containers are especially popular in warehouse-type marketing settings and supermarkets where many containers are stacked on top of one another and have open tops and partially open sides to display the food or merchandise held within them. Examples include containers of packaged candy which may be decorated for display purposes. The containers of candy are shipped to the store in stacked form. Store personnel remove the tops of the containers and, in many cases, fold down or remove a side display panel from the container which exposes the candy within the container to view and allows access thereto by the consumer. The containers are then stacked one on top of another on the retail floor for display of the candy to the consumer.
A major problem with stacked containers having open tops and sides is that a container may partially fall into or “nest” within the container beneath it. Another problem is the lack of strength for stacking. All too often loaded containers near or at the bottom of a stack collapse or become misshaped under the weight of the containers above them. This impairs the aesthetic appearance of the display sought by the seller, ruins the products within and requires clean up.
One known container, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,555, provides a shelf like flap to help support a container stacked on top and prevent nesting. This container is configured to automatically pull the shelf into position upon the assembly of the container. One end of the shelf is connected to a side wall of the container to pull the shelf down, the other end being free and typically resting on the top of one of the side walls. While this container provides advantages over other type containers, further improvements are believed desirable. For example, many products, such as candy, are drop loaded into the containers. If the shelf is already in place, this can interfere with the loading process. Furthermore, it has been found that in some uses the free end of the shelf can be forced into the container, creating a nesting problem.